| The most serious piano teachers will adamantly point | | | | intervals. In photography, for example, pixels are the |
| their students in the direction of an acoustic piano. | | | | intervals. With a traditional film camera, the amount |
| For serious piano studying, I agree with this | | | | of detail you are able to capture is theoretically |
| completely for reasons I will discuss shortly. But for | | | | unlimited because film is a single and continuous |
| many reasons, a genuine handcrafted instrument may | | | | malleable body. The “film” of a digital camera |
| not be the best choice for you. With the | | | | is not single or continuous but is a multitude of pixels, |
| affordability, portability, and the many features that | | | | each of which is only able to record a solid block of |
| come with digital pianos, you may wish to head the | | | | color. The amount of detail a digital camera is able to |
| other way. Summarily, the question of acoustic | | | | capture will depend on how small the pixels are and |
| versus digital boils down to a matter of authenticity | | | | how tightly they’re packed together. If the |
| versus everything else. | | | | pixels, or intervals, are small enough and packed |
| Mostly, the drawbacks of an acoustic piano are | | | | closely enough, the amalgam of the blocks of color |
| matters of practicality, such as price. For what you | | | | they record will appear to be smooth curves and |
| could get a new, decent quality digital piano with, | | | | gradients to the human eye. |
| you’ll be dealing with a rather meager acoustic. | | | | There is a similar issue of intervals with digital pianos, |
| This can encompass a number of problems. For | | | | which is mainly the issue of touch sensitivity. Digital |
| instance, aside from any tuning it might need, the | | | | pianos have a finite number of intervals when it |
| overall sound quality of a cheap acoustic piano can be | | | | comes to key pressure. The more intervals there are |
| quite poor. This may not just be an issue of bad | | | | and the closer they are to each other, the more |
| strings, but can result from an infinite number of | | | | realistically the piano will respond to your dynamics. |
| possible factors arising from any of the complex | | | | High end digital pianos will have quite a lot of them. |
| mechanics of the piano being in disrepair. Other | | | | But digital pianos within the means of average |
| common problems of old pianos are broken keys and | | | | shoppers may not have sufficient sensitivity. This |
| sticky keys, which is when the keys fail to spring up | | | | means that while the vast difference between piano |
| the way they should. There may also be faults with | | | | and forte may be noticeable, the most intricate |
| the framework that can range from nuisances to | | | | variances of touch pressure may be disregarded. This |
| impending hazards. The list of the possible troubles of | | | | will be quite a nuisance to pianists seeking a highly |
| a bad acoustic continues indefinitely, and it is likely | | | | responsive instrument, particularly when it comes to |
| that the piano will need a decent amount of initial | | | | meticulous classical music. |
| maintenance, in addition to periodic maintenance, | | | | It also manifests in pedaling. Piano pedals are ranged. |
| which is likely to pull a few additional large bills out of | | | | Between simple on and off, or up and down, there |
| your wallet right way. | | | | are degrees. “Half-pedaling” and |
| Also, because of its bulk and weight, an acoustic may | | | | “quarter-pedaling” are crude terms describing |
| be a very difficult accommodation for people living in | | | | the manner of pedaling in which the pedal is only |
| tight or elevated spaces, such as dorm rooms and | | | | pressed partially down in order to create an |
| certain city apartments. Some buildings may even | | | | intermediate effect. For instance, rather than |
| prohibit pianos, particularly on floors above the ground | | | | completely depressing the pedal so that the full |
| level, because the weight and bulk of pianos make | | | | brilliance of a note is sustained, you may wish to |
| them quite cumbersome and possibly hazardous to | | | | depress it only half way to dampen about half of the |
| either the tenants or the buildings themselves. This | | | | note and let only the remainder of it sustain for a |
| raises the issue of portability as well. Do you gig? Do | | | | subtler, suppressed quality. Certainly a scrupulous |
| you relocate frequently? Toting a 500 pound upright | | | | pianist will wish to employ the complete range of |
| piano isn’t possible for most people; moving one | | | | pedaling available to him, which may not be |
| across the room is a challenge for most people. If | | | | represented entirely accurately in a digital piano. |
| your music should ideally be ready to go, your hulking | | | | Aside from sound, as mentioned previously, key |
| wooden companion is not going to be sympathetic. | | | | touch is also an important issue. Digital piano makers |
| Acoustic pianos also lack the many features present | | | | these days have gone to great lengths to reproduce |
| in digital pianos nowadays that may be valuable tools | | | | the feel of acoustic pianos. For the most part, |
| to you. For example, volume control may be | | | | they’ve done a good job. They’ve even |
| necessary in dormitory, or close living, situations. | | | | gone as far as implementing graded hammer action, |
| Newer digitals also come with a suite of onboard | | | | which is in line with the hammers of acoustic pianos |
| functions, including on-the-fly recording, voice | | | | gradually becoming lighter from left to right. As a |
| customization, electronic metronome, and even music | | | | matter of fact, if you could take a look at the inner |
| mixing features, which you won’t have. You will | | | | workings of a digital piano, you would be quite |
| also lack the benefit of porting your music to your | | | | surprised and impressed with the complexity of the |
| PC; a simple MIDI connector would feed your | | | | hammer mechanics. However, as long as digital pianos |
| performance directly into your computer’s audio | | | | look the way they do, being the shape and size they |
| card without any ambient noise or loss of sound | | | | are, there is going to be a limit as to how |
| quality, which will probably beat any recording made | | | | authentically the key feel can be made. |
| with an acoustic piano and consumer grade recording | | | | The hammers in a digital piano are simply extensions |
| hardware available at a neighborhood electronics | | | | of the pianist’s fingers. When the pianist presses |
| store. | | | | a key down, it will raise the opposing side of the |
| In light what you’re giving up in bells and | | | | lever, which touches an electronic pad inside the |
| whistles, surely you will be at a degree of | | | | piano that serves as the string. The hammers in an |
| inconvenience being committed to an acoustic piano. | | | | acoustic piano do not behave this way. Instead of |
| Still, despite the great deal of effort digital piano | | | | being extensions of the pianist’s fingers, they |
| makers have put into their product, none have been | | | | are rather like projectiles that are sprung at the |
| able to truly reproduce the sound and feel of a good | | | | strings high above them. Imagine the carnival game |
| acoustic piano. First, lets talk about the piano sound. | | | | where you hit the pad on the ground with a mallet, |
| To most people, casual or occasional listeners of | | | | which flings a projectile up the meter towards the |
| piano music, the sounds made with an acoustic piano | | | | bell at the very top. The finger is the mallet, the |
| and a digital piano are quite identical and equally | | | | visible piano key is the pad, the hammer inside the |
| satisfactory musically. But listen closely, because | | | | piano is the projectile, and the string is the bell. First |
| there is an important difference. | | | | of all, this means if you press a key all the way |
| A digital piano outputs high quality recordings of the | | | | down but not with the minimum amount of force |
| sounds that were made by a real piano at one time. | | | | needed, the projectile hammer will never leave its |
| During the process of making a digital piano, each | | | | seating and the string will actually never be struck. On |
| key of a real concert grand piano is struck a number | | | | the part of the pianist, this launch-pad-like action will |
| of times at varying velocities and recorded with | | | | need a slightly different technique than the |
| sophisticated equipment. This array of high quality | | | | seesaw-like action of digital piano hammers, |
| recordings will serve as the digital voice, and will give | | | | predominantly in difficult works. Secondly, it will feel |
| the digital piano a rather broad range of tonality and | | | | noticeably different under the fingers. |
| an overall likeness of an acoustic piano in varying | | | | The only way this can truly be reproduced in a digital |
| music dynamics. But once the notes have been | | | | piano is by the use of bona-fide acoustic hammers. |
| recorded and finally integrated with the digital | | | | And there’s nothing wrong with doing that. But |
| piano’s voicing mechanism, they are never going | | | | the problem is there isn’t enough room for them |
| to be changed. Even though the aesthetic quality of | | | | inside the compact size of most of the digital pianos |
| the sound may be state of the art, it is the way the | | | | today. That’s why as long as they look the way |
| sounds should behave but cannot because they are | | | | they do, the action of digital pianos will not feel |
| fixed recordings that is the fundamental problem of | | | | completely akin to that of acoustic pianos. Certain |
| digital pianos. | | | | higher end models do integrate the acoustic hammer |
| An acoustic piano uses a complex array of hammers, | | | | action simply to recreate the key feel. Even higher |
| strings, a soundboard, and other moving parts that | | | | end models, which are called “silent pianos,” |
| function in collaboration. This means that when any | | | | integrate strings as well and are bona-fide acoustic |
| note is played, it is not played with entire | | | | pianos with the added ability to remove the strings |
| independence, but is highly affected by the current | | | | from the action and toggle on digital mode in order |
| state of the surrounding components of the piano. | | | | to provide volume control! But these tend to be even |
| For example, playing a chord on a digital piano will | | | | more expensive than acoustic pianos. |
| simply result in three notes being played, as they | | | | In terms of what the average piano shopper will be |
| were recorded individually, at the same time, | | | | able to afford, the difference in the overall |
| whereas with an acoustic piano, the three notes will | | | | performance between a digital and acoustic piano will |
| interact with each other through the soundboard and | | | | be stark. To restate what I said at the beginning of |
| become a stew of vibrations, producing a different, | | | | the article, it really boils down to the authenticity |
| more complex, and ultimately richer sound. Lacking | | | | versus everything else. And the authenticity is usually |
| this quality of pliability, what comes out of digital | | | | going to cost you more to get. What you should |
| speakers will typically be quite simplistic and boring, | | | | think about is how important it is to you that the |
| and will be most unsatisfactory to aficionados of the | | | | piano truly resembles an acoustic. Are you a classical |
| true piano tone. | | | | piano student looking at a long road of perfection |
| An acoustic piano is also an analog instrument, which | | | | and possibly a career as a concert performer? Then |
| means is has virtually infinite range. For example, | | | | a digital piano is probably not what you want to be |
| there is no limit to the loudness or softness a note | | | | practicing on, even as a temporary substitution, |
| may be played on an acoustic piano. With digital | | | | because there is a good chance it will hurt your |
| pianos, there is a point at which a minimum or | | | | technique. It is possible to get financing on an |
| maximum will be achieved. This means there will be | | | | acoustic piano, so I would recommend going that |
| occasions when you will not be able to play a note as | | | | route, using your budget of cash as a down |
| softly or as loudly as you wish. In order words, true | | | | payment. If this is not necessarily what you have in |
| pppp or ffff are probably beyond the scope of digital | | | | mind for your musical venture, then perhaps a digital |
| pianos without you resorting to adjusting the volume | | | | piano is all you require. Depending on your needs, it |
| dial while you’re performing. Even if you were to | | | | may not be a mere reduction of an acoustic, but a |
| do that, the tonal quality of the notes would remain | | | | substantial upgrade with all the features you’re |
| static from that point on, when it would further | | | | going to get. Typically, a digital piano will be more |
| continue to dull or brighten on an acoustic piano. | | | | than enough to satisfy one’s musical appetite. |
| Another problem of digital devices is the matter of | | | | |